


Burden of a Cradle

by TiRaven (Estirose)



Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Genre: F/M, Futurefic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-07-23
Updated: 2013-03-10
Packaged: 2017-10-21 17:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/227518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estirose/pseuds/TiRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even pirates are responsible, especially to one another. Especially when they're starting a family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Music

**Author's Note:**

> Even when there are canon romances in Sentai, it's rare for them to discuss the whole pregnancy/family part. (There are exceptions, if offscreen, for the family/offspring end, but afaik, there have been no pregnant sentai members.) I've tackled it a bit in a few stories that I wrote years ago on the Power Rangers end, and I guess it's Sentai's turn. I tend to ship Gai/Ahim anyway for no good reason, and the complications at least would be interesting.

Ahim-san sipped at her tea, music playing softly behind her, and gazed at Gai who sat across from her as gently as she ever did. But he couldn't help but be a bit nervous; when she had asked him to come earlier, while he was clearing out the dishes, getting ready to wash them and put them away, there had been something in her eyes that made it feel important. Her tone was the same, as always, but he'd gotten really good at reading her. They'd spent far too much time together for him not to, both in battle and in bed. Well, and inbetween, of course.

"Do you remember my doctor's visit, Gai-san?" Ahim-san asked. He knew that she'd felt the need to go to one in port. To be honest, they all had taken care of the free medical checkups, since as pirates, they didn't have a chance to go too often. That was one thing Gai had kind of missed when he'd joined the Gokaigers. He knew some sentai teams had access to medical care because they were affiliated with companies and governments, and he kind of always presumed he'd be in one of those. Not that he was complaining, because at least he was in one, in with the best teammates ever.

"Um, yes?" he was sure that he hadn't hit his head lately. Or, in his line of work, have his head hit, and even if he had, the doctor would have said something about it.

"The doctor came back to me," she said, "And he told me I was pregnant, and that's why I was likely having difficulties." She inclined her head, as if unsure how to say what came next, but she didn't need to. Gai wasn't stupid, and he could figure out why he was getting this talk.

Ahim-san had been running into problems with her transformations the last few weeks, but they hadn't been able to figure out exactly why until they'd been able to get her to a doctor. Enough places were grateful enough to their team that they'd been able to pick and choose, or at least Marvelous-san had. He didn't know how or why their captain had chosen this particular one, but he wasn't going to complain. Marvelous-san might randomly have chosen some things sometimes, but Gai knew he wouldn't gamble with Ahim-san's health. Therefore he could trust the doctor.

"I'm the father, right?" Gai asked, all-too-aware of the fact that they were in the Gokai Galleon's living room and everyone could hear their conversation. He could be wrong, but everything said that he was right. It was a moment of total cliche, because of the setting and everything. If it had been someone else, she'd have told him in private, but she'd made the announcement where everyone in the crew could hear. At least he thought he had that right.

She smiled, as if pleased that he'd gotten it so quickly, and one hand fell to her stomach. His eyes followed her hand, and he knew instinctively that she was going to agree. "Yes."

It said something about living in close quarters that he'd ended up in bed with Ahim. It hadn't occurred to him that he could get her pregnant, given that she wasn't really as human as she looked, though close enough. He'd needed the release and so had she, and he'd been pleased when she came to him. He'd never thought to ask her about birth control, or whether they'd be compatible. Kids didn't get conceived on sentai teams, after all, not during the conflicts, at least.

He realized the music had been put on to soothe him, to keep him calm. Maybe to keep him from passing out, to accept the impossible news from his teammate.

"I'm going to be a father!" he exclaimed. It wasn't like everybody in the room hadn't heard Ahim's confirmation anyway. There were probably considerations to be made, plans for the future, but he didn't care at the moment. This was a new step in his life, and he was going to celebrate it. He was thinking of good plates to make for the party, for Ahim, for everybody to enjoy. He'd have to go shopping and-

Ahim smiled, stopping his thoughts as he looked at her. "And I'm going to be a mother," she said. "But there's a lot to discuss."

Being in a war had tempered some of Gai's excitement, though he wanted to deny it. "Um. Yeah." He still wanted to celebrate, to yell it to the stars. But he knew there would be consequences. There always were. He just didn't want to think about them quite yet.

And after all, tomorrow was another day.


	2. Chapter 2

If Gai looked back, he was sure that the conception happened a little after New Year's. Ahim-san had been especially curious about the customs of his world, and Gai had spent a lot of time explaining them to her, the fireworks and the cards and the funny use of foreign words and all. He remembered her laughing, thinking of her own customs, and being glad, because he'd cheered her up when nobody else could. Ahim-san had been depressed by everything that happened, and Gai wasn't the kind of person to leave a friend unhappy, no matter what else was going on. If he had to be a fool, he'd be one, but in reality, all Ahim-san had needed was a friend to be with her.

He wasn't expecting them to tipsily end up in bed together after that, but once they discussed it and found they both enjoyed it, he'd ended up there regularly, spending about half the time in her room, to the amusement of at least their captain. Gai wasn't sure about the others, but he doubted Marvelous-san cared, at least.

She had taken him to her bed again that night after the announcement. He didn't mind, joining her joyfully because they worked well together, both in life and in battle. He wondered if she was making up for the things she had yet to tell him, the complex things that happened when you were going to become parents. He had to admit he had no clue what happened next; all the ever afters definitely didn't discuss starting families. He might have to ask his family, but he was sure that none of them knew what to do about starting families with alien princesses.

They had laid together for some time after that, quiet and content in the afterglow and pretending nothing had changed in their lives, until Ahim-san said, "I think you should move in."

"Move in?" Gai asked drowsily, not quite ready to wake up fully. They had their own rooms, their own quarters, even if his was a tiny little thing because Marvelous-san had never, ever thought he'd acquire a sixth member of the Gokaigers and had almost forgotten that Gai's room had existed until he suddenly realized that Gai needed someplace to crash that wasn't their living room. He'd never really complained, because this was Marvelous-san, and it gave him an excuse to be around the rest of his team and be the team member he'd always wanted to be, ever since he was a little boy. It had always been his dream, to be part of a sentai team, to save the world and the universe. To live with his teammates, to share joys and even pain with them, to see them through thick and thin until the bad guy was defeated.

He just never thought of what would happen after, because that's where the tales always ended. They had never really ended with the unexpected knight and the literal princess saving the world together and then taking up parenthood. Maybe getting married, yes, and he knew that kids sometimes happened, just… not out of a sentai team from another world that hadn't grown up with the legends the way he had.

"The baby will need room," Ahim-san said, deep in thought. "And your room is perfect… if Marvelous-san will let us stay after it arrives. We'll be married, in any case…."

"Oh, yes," he said, as if he'd been totally expecting to get married to her, because that's what happened. Princesses didn't have kids out of wedlock, after all. Their child would need a stable place, and it wasn't like he was that tied to Earth anymore, was it? He was sure that Ahim-san would move to Earth if he wanted to return home, and at least his planet wasn't dead like hers was, but he'd gotten too used to living on a space vessel, and it would be a shame to restrict their child to one planet, now that their planetbound father had finally gotten to visit the stars. "Marriage. And raising the child here." His parents would be horrified, but he figured they'd be willing to live with it. He'd done some stupid things in his life, and they'd survived through them, after all.

"Of course," Ahim-san said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if she'd always planned to have her firstborn aboard a pirate ship and marry an ordinary, if enthusiastic guy from a backwards planet. Ahim-san rarely lost her poise. She was the calm to his excitement, the reason to his enthusiasm. As if she'd always planned to have a kid with Gai, instead of it being a total accident.

He could envy her for that, but instead he just settled by her, being with her as he'd chosen to be, and stared at the unchanging ceiling.


	3. Chapter 3

There were no sunrises when the Gokai Galleon was in-between stations, in-between worlds. Of course, for most of his time aboard the Galleon, they'd been above Earth, floating in the sky or in orbit, but in the late part of their fight, they'd left the planet of Gai's birth to pursue their enemies. Gai had been thrilled, because here was his chance to see the galaxy safe, free from oppressors, and fulfill his lifelong dream.

So, Gai had gotten used to seeing no sunrises and no sunsets and trying his best to live by his body clock, because what use were clocks when each world might have its own? He supposed that's how everybody else on the ship handled it, but he hadn't really asked anyone, even Ahim-san. He wanted to be a productive member of the team, after all, and it wasn't like anybody really cared unless you were the cook on duty, had chores, or Marvelous-san had decided that they were going hunting for Great Powers that day.

The world below half-shone in the light of its sun from where the Galleon was parked in spacedock as he leaned on the wall of the crow's nest. He loved being out in space, in the Galleon's air bubble that permitted him to breathe. He'd never thought he'd leave Earth, and here he was, crew on a space ship. A pirate ship, yes, but still, a ship that went between the stars.

It was funny, their legal status. They'd saved the universe, but they were still pirates, a title that technically applied to Gai even though he'd never acted as one. He'd never plundered anything, to be honest. He just loved the voyage, the adventure, saving worlds. He suspected that some of his teammates were the same way.

Ahim-san was one who loved it too, which was why they worked so well together. Which was good, because they were voyaging into an entirely new adventure. There was a lot to think about that didn't involve cutlasses and pistols.

As if realizing that he was up there, Ahim-san appeared beside him. Of course, she loved the view; they all did, and it wasn't hard to find one of the others up here. She took his hand. She'd been doing that a lot lately.

But then again, this was Ahim-san. He'd do anything for her, be there for her through thick and thin, stay with her no matter what.

He wondered suddenly what her world's wedding customs were. Probably different for royalty, too, though Ahim-san was a princess in title only nowadays. "I was thinking of what custom we'd follow when we got married," he said, glancing at the stars. Not if. There would be no if, she'd made it clear in her gentle way. They were going to be parents, they were going to be married, and it was a good thing that Gai didn't mind, because he wasn't sure he'd otherwise have a choice.

"I don't know," Ahim-san admitted, one hand over her stomach. "As far as I know, there are no other survivors from my world. And I'm not sure what exactly a wedding entails. What are yours?"

So, he did his best, talking about all the wedding styles he'd ever run across, from his own culture and those from Western television. "There's weddings done by captains..." he said thoughtfully. He didn't know if Marvelous-san was empowered to wed people. Marvelous-san probably didn't care, though he'd do it for Ahim-san and Gai, probably, if they asked him to.

"Then we will ask Marvelous-san." Ahim-san smiled up at him. "I'll talk to him about it."

Gai wanted to laugh, because Marvelous-san didn't do ceremony. He'd probably do something along the lines of, "Ahim, Gai, you're my crew and I wish you happiness. You're married. Let's eat." because he'd want to tackle the food most of all. But as long as he said the words, that was what mattered to Gai, and he knew they mattered to Ahim-san, too.

It was probably a good thing that none of Ahim-san's people survived, after all. He and Ahim-san would probably have to do some administrative things to get their marriage recognized outside the Galleon, but that wouldn't be too hard, he was sure. Maybe on Earth, too.

They had yet to talk about where they would live, but his planet didn't have much in the way of commercial spaceflight and hers was dead, so he hoped that Marvelous-san would let them and their child live aboard the Galleon. Though if Ahim-san wanted to settle someplace that had spaceflight, that was fine too.

Gai was pretty flexible at the moment.

"I'll see what I can find about registering our marriage," he said. He'd ask Don-san how to look that up.

She smiled, and squeezed his hand, and he had to admit everything felt all right.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit longer than I expected, and a rewrite of what I'd originally written for this part.

"Good morning, Ahim." Doc-san was at his station. She was aware that she was late, and Gai-san even later, and that they hadn't held breakfast for her. "Your breakfast's in the kitchen."

At least Marvelous-san hadn't arrived before the two of them. He slept more than the rest of them, just as he ate more than the rest of them. Doc-san had told her that when he'd tailored their meals, he'd always planned for bigger portions for their Captain because otherwise, Marvelous-san would be raiding his kitchen all day and that wasn't good for their food budget.

Her portions, she'd noticed, had changed as well. More, and slightly different than anybody else's, to help with the child. Doc-san had effortlessly changed things out when he'd found out she was pregnant. Of course, he'd been the first one she'd told, even before Gai-san. In fact, she was ashamed to admit, Gai-san had been the last to know.

She headed into the kitchen. There were three trays; one for herself, one for Gai-san, and one for Marvelous-san. She figured Gai-san would be up sooner or later, and Marvelous-san after that. Taking her own, she joined Luka at the table, where her teammate gave her a grin. She was glad for Luka's company, because Luka had always looked out for her, especially when she'd just become one of Marvelous-san's crew, and Luka-san was the one she'd turned to after Doc-san when she found out that she was pregnant.

"Tired him out again?" was Luka-san's amused comment that morning, and Ahim had learned enough to not automatically blush and stammer. She reminded herself that it had been both their choices, that they had both chosen to do what had led up to the situation, and that she was no longer a princess. She no longer had to be what her parents had wanted her to be.

"Very much so," she said. Part of making it to the living area before Gai-san was that Gai-san slept almost as much as Marvelous-san, giving him the energy that she so adored. Technically speaking, the ship had a clock and they did pay some attention to it, dimmed the lights and made things dark at Ship's Night, but Marvelous expected his team to function according to their own biological schedules for the most part.

"Oh, Ahim," Doc-san said, coming over to one side. "There's a message for you. Audio."

There had been a lot of messages to the Gokai Galleon and its crew, the saviors of the universe. Some wanted to claim the ship and its crew for their own, some just wanted to celebrate. A few wanted to condemn. Marvelous-san had made Doc-san set something up to filter most of them out, because as far as he was concerned, the crew of the Galleon were of no planet – Gai-san's affiliation to his homeworld notwithstanding, and Gai-san had become increasingly fond of ship life anyway.

"It's from the officials of some planet called 'Fanos'." Doc-san said. "I don't think I've heard of them, but the ship's computer flagged the message as important."

Fanos. Ahim had heard of the planet, of course. The residents were colonists from Famille, who'd decided that they no longer wanted to be ruled by Ahim's ancestors, even though they revered them. When their colony had largely lost contact with Famille and the rest of the universe due to planetary problems, the people of Famile had written them off as lunatics. Ahim had always thought them early victims of the Zangyack Empire, but maybe the same problems that had isolated them had saved them.

"Then I'll listen to it," she said, "After I eat."

Doc-san had nodded, and left her to her breakfast.

Gai-san had arrived as she was listening to the message, and she waved at him briefly. It was as she thought; the colonists had survived, and they'd found out about her, and had wanted to let her know that they still existed. It was reassuring in a way, even if she didn't know what she'd say to the last remnants of her people, other than thank them graciously for giving her some hope. It wasn't like she had many connections to her world anyway.

He sat down beside her as she got to the second part of the message. It was a summary of what she knew, that the people of Fanos still revered the de Familles as royalty, and that even though no de Famille would ever have political power on Fanos, they still considered them their Kings and Queens. The message ended with something that would have made her quake, had Gai-san not been right there, holding her.

They wanted her as Queen. The speaker had apologized, and told her of course they didn't mind at all if she wanted to stay a pirate, but could she please come there for a few days and receive her crown? She was the last surviving de Famille, after all.

Ahim knew it could be a trap. No matter how good Marvelous-san and the others were, it wouldn't be the first time a de Famille was kidnapped for nefarious purposes. She knew the Fanosians, no matter what they thought about the de Familles being in power, would do anything they could to make sure there was another generation. Their ancestors had been strange that way.

For Gai-san's sake, and her own, they both had to stay away. She didn't want Gai-san trapped on a world that wasn't his just because he'd had the temerity to be there for Ahim when she needed it. Some part of her wished that she could, because that would make their marriage legal without having to do anything special, and it would have been nice to see Gai-san in full regalia, but she couldn't take the risk.

"What do they want?" Gai-san asked, bringing her attention to him. She let him listen, and he listened, serious, nodding.

And then she told him her fears, that the people of Fanos would keep them there, and Gai-san nodded. "Then we won't! If you say it's not safe, then we're not going." He wasn't educated as to the whole political intrigue part, but she knew that he understood. "Tell them that you're going to be an Ikari soon."

She had to smile at that. Gai-san was offering her the shield of his surname, not that it would matter to the people of Fanos. To them, his bloodline was subordinate to hers, and always would be, and his surname irrelevant, that he'd lose it in marriage. She would just tell them that thank you, but no, leave the details out, and life would go serenely on.


	5. Chapter 5

"So, what did you tell them?" Gai-san asked, working on his own breakfast. She'd insisted on him eating while she sent a message back to the people of Fanos; she didn't want him accidentally blurting out that they were going to be parents and getting married. Gai-san was polite, but sometimes he was like Marvelous-san in that he lacked tact, especially when he was enthusiastic about something.

It was why Marvelous-san had taken Gai-san on, because he reminded their captain so much of himself. Marvelous-san would say that it was keeping Gai-san out of trouble, but she'd seen it in his eyes. He liked Gai-san, for all that Gai-san had made such a bad impression on some of the crew when they'd first met him. She knew that Gai-san hadn't meant it, and it probably helped him in the end when Marvelous-san had a chance to think about it. And he'd fit in like the rest of them, and all that mattered to Marvelous-san was that everybody pretty much got along.

"That I was very thankful that they were still alive and the people of Famille lived on, but that I was not qualified to be their princess anymore," Ahim said. She didn't know how they'd react to their princess-turned-pirate being pregnant out of marriage, which was why she hadn't gone into detail. If they knew that she was with child, she had no doubt that they would press more for a coronation and marriage to Gai-san, who would probably get a title too. He'd be thrilled, she was sure, becoming a Prince-consort, but not at the price that they would pay for it.

Gai-san nodded, having calmed down a little after she'd calmed down herself. He'd held her as long as she needed to be held, and she'd eventually gotten to the point where she could compose her message, at which point she'd sent him off. "I should talk to my family on Earth, too," he said reflectively, working on his eggs. "I think they should know I'm getting married too, even if for some reason they can't attend. I'm not sure why they wouldn't, but at least I should tell them."

But they could, Ahim realized, if Marvelous-san consented to having the marriage on Earth. It wouldn't be that hard to dock the Galleon at the nearest park and take Gai-san's parents aboard long enough for the marriage to take place. She wondered if the marriages at sea actually had to take place away from land, or if they could dock in a forest or park and do the ceremony there. If she asked Gai-san, she was sure he could find out.

She wished that her parents were alive, but they wouldn't be happy at her having to marry a commoner from another planet. They'd allow it, but they wouldn't be happy. Gai-san being a war hero might help, but she'd have never met him that way, not if her world hadn't been destroyed. He was an ordinary person from a world that didn't even have a trading route; why would he be trusted to help with the duties of the de Familles?

She missed her parents, but this had allowed her to live her own life, her own way. It was saddening to know that her family would never meet her child, but she wasn't depressed. There was joy to be found, after all, in this joining of people, of this new life. She'd adopt Gai-san's family as her own, as she had adopted the crew of the Galleon. Surely, Marvelous-san would take the Galleon past Gai-san's home planet every so often, and they'd let their child see its remaining grandparents.

"We'll have the wedding on Earth, then," Ahim said. It was only fair to him, and to his family, and hers. One of them still had living family, who cared, and she couldn't ask him to cut his family out of the life just because they were planetbound.

Gai-san only nodded, but his smile told her that he didn't mind the idea at all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a note to people who have me on subscription, I'm revising/posting 10 "chapters" of a 25-prompt challenge before I start posting a new part/new parts in August, so I'm going to be spamming you all more than usual.

"What's Fanos like?" Gai asked. He might never go there – it sounded like he never wanted to, actually – but he was kind of curious as to what the people were like. After all, they'd survived when so many worlds had perished, and they meant that Ahim-san wasn't the last of her kind, which was always good.

Don-san looked over at him. "I know it's cold," he said. "And hot. I guess part of it's too hot for people to live, so they freeze instead. And there's something that happened in their system that makes it difficult for them to communicate with the rest of the universe."

They were talking quietly, because Gai didn't want to bother Ahim-san. He knew there were subjects one didn't bring up with her, and he had a feeling Fanos was one of them.

It was hard to believe that they'd known each other only since summer, Gai reflected as he watched Ahim-san sit on the couch and sip her tea. Don-san had been very fussy about Ahim-san's diet once he'd found out she was pregnant. But otherwise, the crew treated her as they normally did, and Gai was the same. If Ahim-san needed something, she'd tell him. Or any of them, really. Ahim-san might be engaged to him, but they still had teammates and a captain, and he wouldn't give up that bond or have her give it up for anything.

They hadn't gotten a message back yet from Fanos, at least, and Gai hoped that they never did, other than maybe an "okay, goodbye". Because Ahim-san didn't need that kind of stress, not at the moment. If she said no, they should honor that, end of discussion.

He'd looked up everything he could find in Don-san's database on Ahim-san's family, at least in general. He knew what his place in it would be. A nothing, maybe with a little respect for being a hero, there because it was politically expedient. It sounded like the people of Fanos, from what little he'd heard, would care nothing for what he had done either, only what he could do to continue the line of the de Familles. Gai wasn't stupid, he listened most of the time, and he wasn't going to let Ahim-san be a broodmare or anything like that. Besides, as Marvelous-san would point out, they were pirates, they had their pride, and they didn't play by the rules.

And if it saved her and saved him, he would put as much passion into knowing about Famille and Fanos and everything related to them as he had knowing about the super sentais. Reading about heroes was much more pleasant than political intrigue, but for Ahim-san's sake, he'd learn.

Personally, Gai planned to stay with the crew as long as he could, through summers and winters and planets and galaxies, and hoped that Ahim-san could do the same. He'd been a Gokaiger for a year, he liked it, so did Ahim-san. She had been with the crew longer than he, and he doubted she would ever really want to settle down either.

Really, he didn't think there was any place better for his kid to grow up than onboard a ship with aunts and uncles that could protect, and teach things that shouldn't normally be taught to kids. Well, he supposed he could ask his aunt Hanako, but she didn't know everything fun, just a little bit that she wasn't supposed to know. He didn't know where she'd gotten the knowledge, but she was so cool that way.

He was pretty sure that he and Ahim-san had decided to have the wedding on Earth, aboard the Galleon, or at least that's what Ahim-san planned to ask Marvelous-san soon, whenever she thought to approach their captain about their very unusual request. One did not usually ask pirate captains to officiate at weddings, that was for sure.

There was so much more, he knew. He'd treat his princess like the princess she was, even if she'd given up her title. After all, he wasn't going to ask her to resume her duties and act as Queen to the Fanosians, she'd made that pretty clear. All Ahim-san wanted was a safe place, good friends, and plenty of tea, and she got enough of that on the Gokai Galleon. And if she ever got tired of that life, they'd find someplace to settle down. Maybe Earth, because she liked it. Or maybe someplace else. Gai could live with someplace else. Maybe their own ship, even!

But all that was in the future, he realized as Ahim-sam frowned at her teapot, signally subtly that it was nearly empty. He smiled over at her, taking her nearly-empty teapot, and went to fill it again.


	7. Chapter 7

Marvelous-san laughed heartily. He actually had quite a few laughs, but this one, Ahim was somewhat relieved to hear, was his amused laugh. It meant that he was listening to her proposal and thinking about it, not dismissing it out of hand. She was sure that had it been anyone other than herself or Gai-san, he would have turned it down immediately, but because they were part of his crew, he was at least listening.

Some would condemn Marvelous-san as being brash and uncaring, which was wrong. He cared in his own way, for his own people. The two of them were definitely his people, and Ahim had confidence that he'd say yes.

She looked over at Gai-san where he was waiting to hear too. He was wearing the silver-and-grey jacket that Marvelous-san had bought him; after all, it was cold in the winters. She, too, was wearing her warm, fluffy coat that Marvelous-san had gotten her. Marvelous-san was wearing his own red coat, his captain's coat, the one that he was so fond of.

"So you want me to marry you two?" Marvelous-san asked. He was grinning maniacally, seemingly pleased by the proposal that she'd made.

"If you would, Marvelous," Ahim said. She had her hands folded demurely. "I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to find someone to perform a wedding ceremony from my own customs, and marriages at sea on Gai-san's world are done by captains...."

Marvelous-san looked over at Gai-san, and he sprang up, as if realizing that Marvelous wanted to know what in the heck he was talking about. "It's a tradition," he explained. "Mostly it's a western one, but I guess that ship's captains are given the power to perform marriages on their ships." She knew that it was a little more complicated than that, but Marvelous-san didn't want to hear complicated. He wanted to hear something simple that wouldn't obligate him much.

"And in our eyes, you have every legal power to marry us." She remembered Gai-san's early days, when it took him a week or two to realize that Marvelous-san had absolute authority on their ship. Gai had confided to her that he had been too busy trying to make Marvelous into what he thought the man should be instead of thinking of the team and his place in it.

But Gai-san had fit into the team well after he'd figured out his place in it and accepted Marvelous-san' authority. He'd been a bit embarrassed, she thought, after he realized that he was inadvertently disobeying Marvelous, his Red. She was sure that Marvelous-san understood that too, now. Not that he'd ever let Gai-san be insubordinate again. Marvelous allowed much on his ship, let his crew be themselves, but all of them knew better than to disobey his direct orders. Find a creative way around them, yes. Disobey them, no.

"We wouldn't have anybody else do it." Technically, they could, but Marvelous-san had the first right, she knew. He wouldn't feel insulted, but Ahim felt uncomfortable about not asking the man who had welcomed them both into his crew when he didn't have to.

"What's involved?" Marvelous-san asked, quirking a brow. It was a good sign, if they handled Marvelous-san and his own needs right.

"Um... you compliment the bride and the groom, they agree to the marriage, you say they're married, and everybody has lunch," Gai-san said. Ahim tried not to smile as Gai-san appealed to Marvelous-san's stomach. He knew the captain far too well.

It wasn't like they needed anything fancy, and with the communication from Fanos, Ahim was rather wanting something as simple as possible. And Marvelous-san would make it simple. He wasn't one for speeches, at least long ones. All that mattered to Ahim was that there was some kind of ceremony and that it was between friends. Gai-san had promised to look into the legal requirements on Earth and otherwise, and she wouldn't be surprised if Doc-san was helping.

She was sure there would be some problems – Gai-san was not an intergalactic citizen and she wasn't legal on Earth – but they'd find some way around it for themselves and their child.

Marvelous-san laughed again. "We'll do that, then. Make the arrangements." Ahim tried not to sigh in relief at his words. After all, he could have said no. He could be unpredictable, after all.

She smiled, looking at Gai-san and twining her fingers in his as he smiled back at her. "We will."

"Yes," Gai-san echoed. "We will."  
 


	8. Chapter 8

Gai was sure he had the goopy smile of the soon-to-be-married. It was hard not to, even as he knew that the main reason for Ahim-san marrying him was that he got her pregnant.

Still, he was pretty sure he was skipping as he and Ahim-san came to his house. Today, he'd tell his parents that he was getting married, though he'd leave the part out about Ahim-san being a princess, since that really didn't matter.

Besides, he had a sneaking suspicion that the rest of the crew had wanted him and Ahim-san off ship to make their own plans for the wedding. Just because Marvelous' main interest was the after-wedding lunch didn't mean that the others didn't have their own plans.

He looked at Ahim-san, who had her hands folded together, and opened the door. At least it was Saturday, and his parents would be home.

"Gai!" His mother looked up from where she was having some tea with her sister, his aunt Hanako. His aunt had pulled him aside shortly after he became GokaiSilver and had asked him to try not to get himself killed, and if he felt he needed to know some less than legal things to get on with his crew, then he should let her know.

Aunt Hanako did know some amazing things, Gai had to admit once she told him what she knew, but he was a good guy, even on a ship full of pirates. He'd only really taken advantage of how to get out of being tied up, since it occurred to him that good guys needed to know that too.

"Mom, Aunt," he said, indicating his wife-to-be with a gesture. "This is Ahim-san."

Ahim-san bowed politely, and with the polite phrasing she always used, added "I'm pleased to meet you."

He had no doubt that his mother and aunt knew exactly who Ahim-san was. He hadn't exactly been quiet about the new team, even before he became GokaiSilver. He'd probably bombarded them with his enthusiasm, not that he was going to apologize about that.

After a moment, his mother said, "Pleased to meet you, Ahim-san." She looked at Gai as if unsure how to address his teammate, so Gai stepped in and helped out.

"Ahim-san, this is my mother and my aunt."

"I hope you treat me well," Ahim-san said, as if she wasn't a princess from another world, but just a polite girl seeking their approval.

"Would you like to sit down?" his mother asked, slightly nervously rearranging things so that the two of them could do just that.

"Yes, please." Ahim-san let his mother usher her onto the sofa in their living room, and then his mother excused herself to get more tea, or that's what he hoped she was doing.

His father came out with her, which made Gai happy as he could break the news to them all at once. The family deserved to know about Ahim-san and his intentions towards her, especially since their daughter-in-law was going to be a famous space pirate and ex-princess.

"Mom, Dad, Aunt," he said, not seeing the point in holding this off, "I'm going to marry Ahim-san."

He doubted any of them were expecting that, and their stunned expressions proved that he was right. Whatever else they'd expected, a marriage to Ahim-san was not one of them.

"Gai, are you sure?" his mother asked, looking from him to Ahim-san and back again.

"Gai-san and I are going to be parents in a few months," Ahim-san said, as demurely as possible while still supporting him. She smiled gently at his parents, her hands over her stomach for emphasis.

"I… see." His mother looked faintly disturbed, as if she'd never expected Gai to be sleeping with someone, much less getting married because of it. "Forgive me, Ahim-san, but you're not human, are you?"

"Apparently our species are close enough in the ways that matter," Ahim-san replied, emphasizing her stomach. "And in any case, I want to spend my life with your son."

"And we wanted to invite all of you to the wedding," Gai said, pushing forward. "We're holding it on board the Gokai Galleon."

"It won't be legal if you don't file paperwork with the authorities," his aunt pointed out. She looked thoughtful, tapping her lower lip with one finger. "I'll see what I can do." Gai silently cheered. Aunt Hanako hadn't been thrilled about the whole Gokaiger thing, but she'd been supportive, in some ways more so than his parents.

"It's quite… unexpected," his mother said, still looking between him and Ahim-san. "But if you're sure…."

"I'm very sure." He was really very sure.

"Then," his mother said, "I think that we'll come to the wedding." She looked at Gai's father, and he nodded in silent agreement. He wasn't really expecting them to turn him down, but somehow, he was relieved that they'd said yes.

His parents excused themselves to the kitchen, and only Gai's aunt remained. "Are you sure you know what you're getting into?" she asked, quietly. "This is going to be a much different adventure, Gai, than saving a world. It's something that I can't help you on."

That was his aunt, practical. "I think I can, with Ahim-san's help," he said. "And yours." If she could get them legally married, that would be great.

She gave him a small smile. "I'll see what I can do." And he believed her, because she got really serious when she made her promises, even when she was smiling.

Maybe everything would turn out all right after all.


	9. Chapter 9

Marvelous-san was yelling something about "simple" and "more meat" as Gai headed into Ahim-san's room. His, too, technically, because Marvelous had decreed it so, and seemed about as excited about the baby as he and Ahim-san were. But that was Marvelous-san for you; as long as someone else took care of the details, he wanted to have fun. Maybe Marvelous-san would enjoy a little bit of snow, getting to play in it and such. It suited his personality.

Ahim-san was staring at the device on her lap, biting her lip. Gai recognized it as the outer space version of a music player, and sat down beside her, gently holding her. Whoever and whatever had bothered her so would pay if they needed to.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Couldn't fix what he didn't know about, after all.

"Somebody on the station must have told them…."

Gai didn't need to ask who "they" were - it had to be the people of the planet Fanos. The people who wanted Ahim-san as their Queen, not pausing to think that a woman who had spent the last year or so being a pirate might not want to settle down and be a Queen. "Let me listen?"

Ahim-san passed the headphones to him, and he slipped them on, listening to the message. It was some government functionary - he wasn't clear on the name, it sounded like Anon de Anon to him - who congratulated Ahim-san on her pregnancy. Well, the way the man phrased it, it was more like he was glad that Ahim-san was having a kid because she was a de Famille, and Gai wanted at the moment to ask Marvelous to take them to Fanos so he could throttle the man personally.

Then he asked, and Gai thought the man had some nerve, if she was planning on marrying the father, who was obviously a war hero and fertile. And who it was, because obviously he needed to be added to the royal family line.

And again, they hoped that even if she never set foot on Fanos again, she'd accept being Queen and that she and her husband-to-be would have many children. As long as the Famille royal line continued, that's what mattered.

He held her tighter, knowing that she needed the comfort. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"It's… I can't help thinking that it's a trap," Ahim-san confessed. "The people of Fanos loved us. It's just…."

"They wanted a different government." He'd read of some countries on Earth that were that way. They had distant royalty and that was fine with them.

Ahim-san nodded. "Yes. They saw us as figureheads, not true rulers, just as they loved us. It's why they're so eager to see me become a mother."

And yet, as Gai looked at Ahim-san's expression, he knew that she also yearned to go back to that life, in some way. Which he understood, or at least he thought so. Ahim-san was used to that life, she'd spent years as a princess before she'd become a pirate.

"We're pirates," he reminded her. "We don't have to do what they want, unless we want to too!"

Ahim-san knew her own mind, and Gai would support her, no matter what. He had to admit, he was kind of curious about what being a prince would be like, but he also thought that it involved a lot of boring stuff that he didn't want to deal with. One thing he liked about being part of Marvelous-san's crew was that Marvelous didn't care one whit about paperwork at all.

Of course, that's why he probably wasn't thinking about going back to Earth to raise a family there. His parents would be disappointed, but he definitely didn't want to raise his kid on just one planet. Besides, he'd talked to Don-san, and he knew that while there were risks on raising a kid on a space vessel - socialization being one of them - the kid would probably be fine.

But that all depended on Ahim-san. He was sure she'd listen to what he wanted, but raising a kid was kind of a cooperative thing, even if men tended to go out and earn the money more than women. Which made Ahim-san's choice more important than his.

He quietly swore to do what Ahim-san wanted, because he wanted her to be happy. And happy she'd be, whatever he needed to do.


	10. Chapter 10

Gai leaned over the bridge, Ahim-san beside him. They'd been banished from the Galleon for the day, enough time for everybody to get ready for the wedding that was happening the next day. Gai had to admit that he was excited for the whole event, even though nobody had bothered to tell them what they'd be doing besides pledging themselves to each other.

Heck, he didn't even know what to tell his family to wear, and whether it would be on board ship or in some quiet park somewhere. He was thinking that probably it would be in some park, because Marvelous-san had limited tolerance for people on board that weren't his crew. HIs parents would probably be more comfortable, too, not having their son's wedding held upon a space pirate ship. So, it would work well! He was sure that everybody would make the day as nice as possible for him and Ahim-san and his parents.

Sure, there were some troubling things, like the Fanosians and their requests for Ahim-san to, well, not settle down, but take on her full crown. He knew, from what Don-san had said, that she was concealing his identity as her groom and child's father. While it was probably inevitable that the galactic press would probably figure out that they were married someday, he hoped that it would take the universe a while to do it, because that saved Ahim-san from some stress.

Besides, while accolades were inevitable when one saved the universe, if Ahim-san didn't want the title, neither did he. He was happy being Ikari Gai, citizen of Earth, member of one of the thirty-five super sentais that had saved Earth and sometimes the Universe.

It's all that he'd ever wished to be. Of course, he hadn't expected to be part of a team of space pirates and have to explain the whole idea of saving the universe to them and setting them on the right path, at least as much as his teammates would allow him to. And some of it they'd figured out themselves, anyway.

If they'd been evil pirates, after all, they'd never have taken on sweet, gentle Ahim-san. They'd never have taken on Don-san, either. Well, maybe Don-san, but not Ahim-san. Don-san was a mechanic and cook, and while Gai would never say anything against one of his teammates, Don-san wasn't the world's most courageous person, at least outwardly. Inside, he was stubborn as Marvelous-san himself.

Maybe there was a certain required stubbornness in becoming one of Marvelous-san' crew, something that Marvelous-san recognized and adored.

Gai himself had enjoyed being a bridge between his crew and the rest of the sentais. After all, none of them had known the history behind the powers they used – okay, none of them really had any interest – but at least they recognized that it was useful, if only for deciphering clues. Sure, there were moments where even he hadn't any idea – how was he to know that "helping people" meant GoGoV in particular – but he was pretty good at directing them to the right team.

And, he had to admit, he didn't mind his adventures bringing him a wife, no matter how much he hadn't planned getting her pregnant or getting married. As his aunt would tell him, all fairy tales had to end.

Gai preferred to think of the whole thing as a new adventure, just one that involved raising a child on a spaceship full of pirates. He knew there would be difficulties, but as long as he and Ahim-san were there to balance out some of their teammates, the kid would be fine.

"Are you ready?" Ahim-san asked suddenly.

Going into the unknown, into a marriage ceremony he knew nothing about, other than it would be short? Oh, yeah. He could live with that. And it wasn't like he and Ahim-san were the only earthling-alien marriage performed that year, after all. He wasn't the only one to find love with someone from outer space, he was just the more famous.

"Of course I'm ready!" he told her. After all, there were things far more dangerous than taking up with the girl of his dreams. He'd taken on an entire huge alien empire, after all, because he was doing what was right.

And if he could do that, he could get married to Ahim-san. "You?" he asked.

He doubted Marvelous-san would postpone the wedding even if the bride and groom had cold feet, but it was still Ahim-san's call.

But the smile she gave him told him that she didn't have cold feet, not at all. "I'm ready too," she said, and Gai took her hands, smiling back at her.


	11. Chapter 11

Gai woke up by himself, which was normal. Ahim-san needed less sleep than he did, even pregnant. In fact, he was one of the heaviest sleepers on the crew, with the exception of Marvelous-san himself.

His brain took a moment to kick in and remind him of what day it was. He and Ahim-san were going to get married! He knew that Don-san would arrange things so that his parents would be picked up, and then they'd go to wherever they'd decided to hold the wedding. In fact, Gai hadn't even been permitted to go into the kitchen, and neither had Ahim-san, which had made morning tea a little bit interesting.

Dressing in his best clothes, he headed into the ship's living area. He had a kimono, but that was at home, and it didn't seem right, given that he was getting married as a space pirate and not really as a resident of Earth.

Ahim-san smiled at him as she sipped at her tea - which he presumed Don-san or Luka-san had gotten for her. She was dressed in something that he hadn't even known she'd owned; it was pink and sparkly and it made her look very much like the princess she'd been, once upon a time. It made him feel terribly underdressed and wondering if he could find something nicer, fast. Maybe he should ask his parents to bring his kimono, after all.

"Gai! Breakfast!" Don-san had come out of the kitchen with a tray of food for him. Looking around, he could see that the entire team, including Marvelous-san, had made it to the common room without him. It wasn't any meal familiar to him, but then again, on his wedding day, he felt like he should go with the flow. Besides, he would be a bad teammate if he wasn't willing to go along with other worlds' customs, wouldn't he? "My people consider this a good wedding breakfast," Don-san explained quietly. "I wanted to make it for you."

That brought a grin to Gai's face. Considering their first meeting, he was lucky that Don-san had forgiven him and that they'd become good friends and teammates. "Thank you, Don-san," Gai told him. He tucked eagerly into the breakfast. Whatever was in it, he didn't care, because the important part was that Don-san had made it for him. Well, Don-san made things especially for each crew member anyway, but this was made in celebration of the wedding, which was important to Gai.

As he finished his breakfast, he was aware of Luka-san looming above him. "That won't do," she complained, or at least mock-complained. It was hard to tell, because it might be all part of the plan for the day. "Here. I found something for you to wear."

Gai took it, glancing curiously at the items. Dark blue, black, and something that was grey-and-silver. Maybe he wouldn't have to beg his parents to bring his kimono after all. "Right." Hopefully it wouldn't be too fancy.

"No matter what Marvelous says," Luka-san told him, "There's always bound to be a reporter or two. That's how they are. Besides, I want you to look nice next to Ahim."

He nodded. "I promise you, I'll make the best groom to Ahim ever!" He raised one finger to the sky, causing Luka-san to grin a little regardless.

"You'd better," she mock-warned. She gave him a little push towards the stairs. "Yell for Joe if you get stuck. Don't take an hour."

But when Gai unbundled the clothes, they seemed simple enough. Loose navy blue pants, a dark black button-up shirt, and a silvery-grey vest that used straps instead of buttons. He admired himself in the mirror, knowing that it did look much better than what he'd had on. Returning to the living room, he was not too surprised to see Marvelous-san working on a second plate of breakfast while Don-san worked on navigation. Luka-san was holding a small jar of something silvery, and he knew it was something to do with him, so he headed in her direction.

She handed the jar over to Joe-san and fussed at the straps of his vest a little before directing him to floor next to the couch, where Joe-san was sitting down. He guessed they'd all done something similar for Ahim-san, getting her ready, and now was his turn.

There was a brush on his hair and the feeling that something was being applied to it. Gai knew that Joe-san was doing this because of the whole wedding thing, but he couldn't help but try to stay still and not feel too awed by Joe-san's gentle touch on his hair. It took forever, but finally Joe-san let him go, and he rushed to check out what had been done in a mirror.

Joe-san had done an expert job of applying silver highlights to portions of Gai's hair. It made his hair really stand out, and it looked really good with the outfit that Luka-san had given him, which was important.

He was grinning as he came back to the main cabin. "You look wonderful, Gai-san," she said breathlessly, and he could only grin helplessly as Don-san announced that they were over Tokyo and ready to pick up Gai's parents.

Somehow, this was going to be the best wedding in the world.


	12. Chapter 12

It seemed like seconds after they'd ushered his parents and aunt onto the Gokai Galleon that they were taking off for where the wedding would take place. The three of them were elegantly dressed in kimonos, despite the fact that nobody else in the wedding group was. Sure, the entire crew was dressed nicely, but not fancy.  
   
Still, he had to admit that they looked nice, just in case anybody followed them. HIs parents had quietly complimented him on his outfit and Ahim's, and his mother had quietly informed him that she was proud of him, settling down as much as he could, and to be sure to bring her grandchild to Earth often.  
   
His Aunt had pulled him and Ahim-san to one side during the journey and given him an envelope. "Forged documents, in case you want to register your marriage on Earth." Gai discovered later she'd also given him the gift of lockpicks, because "no decent pirate should be without a set, if you're set on this course for the rest of your life." He'd grinned hopelessly after that for a good twenty minutes.  
   
A few hours later, the Gokai Galleon was coming up on wherever they were holding the wedding. It had gotten dark ouside, and Gai wondered where they were.  
   
"Someplace called North America," was all that Don would say.  
   
As it was, he, Ahim-san, and his family were left waiting while Don-san landed the Galleon and everybody set up for the wedding. When they were finally let out, they found themselves being led into a grove where lights had been set up, and Gai could hear water nearby. "We're pirates," Marvelous-san declared, "Weddings during dark are perfect for us."  
   
Gai was hardly going to complain. He was sure that part of the reason was to have some privacy, since it was a bit harder to photograph without being obvious.   
   
As soon as everybody was sat down on chairs, except themselves and Marvelous-san, he grinned. "Ahim, Gai. I guess you want to get married, huh. I don't know why you want to, but I guess even pirates get married sometimes. Anyway, I'm glad to have you as crew, and I'm glad that both of you came aboard. So, Ahim, you really want to get married to Gai?"  
   
"Yes," Ahim-san - no, just Ahim, they were shortly to be husband and wife - said, looking up at Gai.  
   
"And Gai, you want to get married to Ahim?"  
   
"Yeah!" he exclaimed. He was glad nobody but the crew and family were there to catch that informal reply and blushed a little.  
   
"Well, then I guess you're married." Marvelous-san grinned. "Kiss so that we can get to lunch."  
   
Gai leaned down to kiss Ahim, and they kissed, her lips warm against his in the cold. There were flashes of cameras, probably his relatives and maybe one of the others.  
   
"Hey!" Luka-san called, and he looked in her direction. Joe-san was rushing towards the bushes on one side, grabbing someone.  
   
So, they apparently had a reporter covering the wedding, after all.   
   
Joe-san had pulled out a young man, a humanoid that could have passed for human except for his eyes, too brightly green for a human. The man was grinning, holding his hands up, and Gai dimly noted the knife and gun in holsters, tensing up and stepping to be between his relatives and the purported reporter. "Hey, no harm, no foul, right?" He looked over at Gai and Ahim. "Look, someone had to cover this wedding, and who better than me? Let me introduce myself, I'm La-"  
   
Marvelous-san gave Joe-san a nod, and he dragged the reporter out of sight, only returning a few minutes later.  
   
"Okay, now let's eat," Marvelous-san said, his appetite undimmed from the intrusion.  
   
The group of them sat at the tables, and Don-san served lunch, helped by a roped-in Luka-san and Joe-san. Gai noticed that he and Ahim got slightly different meals than the rest of the crew, and had to wonder if this was Don-san just tailoring meals, or some world's ceremony.  
   
Not that he minded much, because the meal was delicious and it was good to be among teammates and family. And to have his family meet his teammates. He wasn't sure they'd approve of his team, especially since Marvelous-san, Luka-san, and Joe-san weren't the nicest people out there, but he guessed they realized he was growing up, and was happy. Besides, who wouldn't want their son to marry into royalty?   
   
And he had the sense that they were happy for him.  
   
After the meal, everything was packed up, and they all headed back to the Galleon. Gai swore he heard a cheerful voice say "Congratulations on your marriage! You sure I can't get an interview?" But he ignored it, as did everyone else, and they went back to the ship.  
   
In all, it was a good day, and Gai was glad he and Ahim were finally married. And from their expressions, so were his parents, and their team. Maybe everything would turn out all right, after all.


	13. Second

Ahim could live forever on the sight of Gai asleep in their bed. He was finally moved into their room - though mostly that was because Marvelous-san had decided shortly after the wedding that Gai wasn't moving out fast enough, and had shoved Gai's belongings into his new room and then locked the door of his old one, ruling that they didn't really need it until further along in Ahim's pregnancy.

It felt somewhat strange to refer to Gai without an honorific, but they were married, so she got used to it.

She knew, once Gai got up, they'd have to discuss what to do with the forged records that Gai's aunt had gotten for them. The papers made her a citizen of a small nation without a government that would yield to requests from the Japanese bureaucracy, and he'd also been left with the paperwork he and Ahim needed to have her register as the non-Japanese spouse of a Japanese citizen, and give her the spousal visa she probably wouldn't ever need, but would help to have.

Ahim walked to the main room, heading for the galley to make some tea. It was nice to have access again, after being barred for a few days from it while Doc-san and the others got ready for the wedding. Which had gone perfectly, the reporter notwithstanding.

She saw Doc-san frowning at the console, and walked over to see what was going on. "Doc-san?"

He gave her a bright smile, which meant that he was working on something he didn't want to bother her about. "Redoing the communication filters."

Oh, dear. That meant that the communications issue regarding Ahim's own status had become worse, and that they were having to filter out more than they had. She was starting to wonder if the wedding had been such a good idea.

But it was done, and there was no room for second thoughts.

"We're also no longer on station," Doc-san said, tapping at his controls. "Um, someone made the mistake of calling us a diplomatic vessel and Marvelous didn't take that too well."

"We're causing problems," Ahim realized. Herself and probably Gai. Marvelous-san might be thrilled about having a kid, and he certainly liked his crew enough, but Ahim would forgive him if he decided to put her and Gai off at the nearest port.

"You are not!" Luka-san proclaimed. "Go get tea and let Doc work on those filters."

Ahim made a slight bow in Luka-san's direction. "I should."

She didn't forget that there was a problem with the filters, but she did take some tea, because it helped her calm down. Gai would hopefully be up soon to talk and figure out what was going on.

Joe had brought up a bundle of papers, probably from when they were on station. She had to admit, there was little use for newspapers when one lived in space, but a lot of people seemed to like the familiarity of paper in their hands.

She wondered if the entire universe knew that she'd gotten married. She knew that it likely wasn't a secret, because of the reporter, and he'd still been alive when they'd left. There had been moments since the wedding where she regretted that they were relatively ethical for pirates; that moment had been for her and Gai and the others, not the rest of the universe.

And other parts of her were glad that he was there, just to be an outside witness. A lone reporter, being there to witness history.

Gai walked into the room, yawning, immediately heading for the kitchen for breakfast. He didn't eat as heavily as most of them, though he still ate a fair amount. Which was surprising, considering how much energy he usually expended.

Ahim picked up a paper, curious to see if their wedding had made the news. She knew that what the Gokaigers had done to save the world meant that what happened to them was important, especially when it came to the princess of the team marrying her teammate.

At least it was more pleasant to look for news of one's wedding rather than one's bounty going up. She had hardly bothered with the paper when they were still being hunted by the Zangyack Empire; it had been more Luca-san's thing, thought she had to admit she found a certain guilty pleasure in any increase in her own bounty. Gai, too, had celebrated any change in his own, and his had certainly gone up by the end. Even Doc-san's had reached quite a respectable amount by the time things were all done.

Coming out with his own food, Gai sat down next to her. He looked thoughtful. "I hope that there's not much coverage of our wedding - I mean, it's been a few days, but…."

"I have no doubt that we will eventually make the news," Ahim said, though the paper she was holding had no mention of their wedding. Gai had fetched another paper, and had unfolded it when he let out a yelp of surprise.

Leaning over, Ahim saw what had caught his attention; an image of the two of them in the grove, kissing. The highlights in Gai's hair looked beautiful in the light, a bright silver in contrast to his blue-and-black clothes, and the photographer had clearly known what he was doing, as he'd caught them at a good angle, Gai almost having lifted her off her feet in joy and her dress flaring out in response.

The photographer was listed as a L. Loire, and Ahim had to wonder if he'd been the man they'd caught. Maybe he'd brought backup; he'd been wise enough to bring something to defend himself with, after all.

Not that she minded. He was the closest thing she'd ever have to a transcriber of events, a scribe of history. If she'd been marrying Gai normally, the whole thing would be well-documented, but as it was, she was somehow glad that he'd managed to live through the whole thing and returned to tell the tale.

"You look beautiful," Luka said, taking the paper from Gai, who made a weak attempt to grab it back.

"I know," Ahim replied. There would be consequences, she knew, but for the moment she was at peace, thankful, and comfortable with the universe once more.


	14. Chapter 14

"So, what are you going to tell them?" Gai asked his wife. One of the messages that had come through - along with the forty thousand regarding their marrage, and Gai really hadn't realized how big a deal that had been - had been from Fanos. Which he really was studying.

There was a lot of material, and Gai had taken the opportunity while they'd been on station to pick up as much as he could. He was studying it as he had time, which was a fair amount now that they were just preparing for going to the Zangyack Homeworld.

"That what must be done must be done." Apparently, while the people of Fanos liked their princess being a pirate, they weren't so keen on her and Gai going into danger. After all, they were the royal family.

He had to admit, he liked being addressed as "Prince-consort Gai." Heroes got titles all the time, though not so much on Sentai teams. Why shouldn't he get a title?

"Also," Ahim said primly, "That your title should include your famiy name. Your original one. I'm not going to let you lose it."

"Oh, yeah." They'd talked about the probability that he'd become just Gai, no family name, when he married Ahim. It was because of the title, and because he was really a nobody as far as the Fanosians were concerned. "Yeah, I really like having a family name."

"And that is what I hope to convince those of Fanos; that you deserve one, both as a hero and one of common blood. Even if our child does not carry your family name, you deserve to keep it."

"Do you think that they'll let me?" They had to let him! After all, he was Ikari Gai, part of the Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger.

"I hope that they are willing to do so in hopes of convincing us to settle there." Ahim folded her hands. "But I don't intend to, not yet."

No, compared to being a figurehead, Gai would take the life of a pirate any day, and he knew Ahim felt the same way. Who wanted to settle down when there was so much good to be done? Ahim was the most justice-minded of his teammates, and she understood that.

"Fanos is where all the lost people of Famile are gathering, after all." He'd been paying attention. 

He actually liked the idea of being a figurehead. Giving the people a voice was a good idea. But Ahim might actually want to rule her people some day, and he wouldn't stop her. Despite what others might think, he did pay attention to things. He knew that Ahim would have ruled Famile if it hadn't been destroyed.

His role, from his quick research on station, would have been simply as a breeder. Someone to produce royal children, the next generation. He wished he knew more than that, but he hadn't had time to read up - and Marvelous had moved the Galleon before he'd finished.

"Yes. One of my duties shall be to find those who don't want to live on Fanos a new home." She looked over at him. "I will ask Marvelous-san to help."

"I think he'd rather us be considered a scout vessel than a diplomatic vessel anyway."

Ahim visibly winced. "Our captain does what he wants, but hopefully he will see that being considered such is not an insult."

Gai wished her good luck with that. Marvelous-san was very adamant that he was a pirate, not a diplomat, not even a scout. Did it really matter what they were called, after all, by the rest of the universe? It was being pirates that mattered to him and Ahim. They would never stop being such, even if they settled down somewhere.

But Marvelous-san was the captain of the ship, and his word was law. Maybe he could be persuaded. Maybe over a good dinner.

For his wife, Gai would do anything to help her out. Including cooking dinner. He loved her, after all.


End file.
